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Reviews
La sociedad de la nieve (2023)
"There is no greater love than to give one's life for friends."
I get it. I can safely say I finally understand the hype that this film got - I genuinely did not expect to like it as much as I did but oh my god this movie is a masterpiece - I can't believe I waited almost two whole months to finally check it out, I think I was just nervous about the two and a half hour long runtime because that feels like a really big commitment until I start the movie and it goes by super fast. I am so happy that I actually watched this film, yet at the same time I'm so devastated having watched it so I'm in a very conflicting mood about the movie at this moment. I adore the way it was made, the acting, the sets, and everything else about it, but at the same time it made me so anxious and sad that it is kind of hard to love thinking about it.
Society of the Snow is a survival/drama film (if it falls into any genre for me it's horror because it might not be a bloody or jumpscared filled movie - but this is literally one of the most frightening experiences I've ever seen on camera and it could easily fall into the survival horror sub genre). The movie is based off a book that was written about a true story, when it was coming out a lot of people were complaining that this was just a remake of the 1993 "original" Alive, which doesn't even make sense because you can't 'remake' a true story - its just another interpretation of it that on all accounts is better in both being a representation of the real events and also just being a good movie.
In the true events (which are very accurately portrayed within Society of the Snow), a group of Uruguayan rugby players are flown to Chile for the last get together they're ever going to have, but on the way there their plane crashes in the Andes mountains forcing them to figure out how to survive the harsh environment they find themselves in - doing whatever it is that's necessary to not die. Twelve people didn't make it through the initial crash, leaving thirty-three survivors on the very first day, but that number would dwindle heavily in the following seventh-two days they were stuck out there - leaving only sixteen survivors at the end of their journey. Over the duration of their stay on that mountain, they resorted to a lot of horribly scarring things to survive; from having to ration out their food to barely even a cracker a day, having to choose who goes out into the mountains looking for anything of use with the high chance of death, and even being forced to eat the dead bodies of their friends and family for a chance to survive.
I really love the way the film portrays this extremely dense choices, showing the battle of morality between the group on whether or not they can do the things they need to for survival - some even choosing to starve themselves in rebellion of eating another person's body, before eventually caving to keep on living. The acting was fantastic in this film, every single actor came with their A game and with the help of the director J. A. Bayona they were able to make their performance truly special. Speaking of the direction, the direction lended to well to the performances really showcasing the emotion they were displaying and making every big/climactic scene hit even harder and feel like it had more weight to it. An absolute masterclass in directing and acting, to bring together one of the most memorable experiences I've ever had.
The commitment to practical effects as well was incredible, from the actors who agreed to film the crash in chronological order as to further their characters as they would go on a diet and gradually lose weight each day to show that the same thing was occurring to those they played was amazing. And the way they did the plane crash itself is phenomenal, the half of the plane itself and all of its components were practical, they genuinely spun it around and made all the different things that happened within it truly happen - and all of the stuff that was flying out actually flew out. It's stuff like that, that makes a huge impact on the viewer without them even realizing it, because the fact that the place crash didn't look fake is what sold me so hard on the emotion of the entire scene.
The actors were probably my favorite part of the whole thing as well, the narrator who was also one of the people who crashed there, Numa Turcatti (played by Enzo Vogrincic) was absolutely my favorite part of the film, having the story told from his perspective made it all feel so much more real and genuinely devastating as the events unfolded. I did watch this dubbed in English on Netflix though so I'm not entirely sure about his voice, but his face acting and the amount of emotion him (and the rest of the cast) displayed was just perfect. Even without actually being able to hear his voice I could FEEL the pain he was emanating. Plus the fact that the survivors of the crash themselves felt this movie did the story of both them, and their friends/family justice speaks volume to how meaningful and just well done this whole thing was. Also pretty much entirely unrelated to their acting abilities and how well they handled the story, dear lord all the boys in this film were fine as hell, prettiest men I've laid eyes on - for some reason foreign actors are always the most attractive compared to the u.s., definitely not complaining though - if I have to look at someone for over two hours I'd like them to look appeasing to the eyes.
All in all I get the hype, i wholeheartedly understand why this movie got nominated for an Oscar, and I'm very conflicted now and what I want to win because for all I know; this one absolutely deserves best international picture and best makeup and hairstyling (second one because of how well they made everyone look like their real life counterparts and also how well they did the frostbite plus the general wounds they got as well). I've yet to see any of the other films nominated in these categories though, so for all I know they might be better - but for right now I think if this one wins either it's very well deserved. If you're like me though and haven't checked this out even though it's been praised by basically everyone, I cannot recommend seeing it enough - it's more than worth the time and the pay off is immense. Fantastic all around, acting, directing, cinematography, makeup, effects, score, and if you're like me and would rather watch it in English the dub is worth it because it is insanely well made. Peak movie and will most likely end up in my top ten of 2024 unless a whole lot of movies just as good come out and just overpass it.
86 (2021)
A very unique mecha show
"If this is the last thing I see; then perhaps dying wouldn't be so bad."
I really don't know I'm very conflicted on this show, because to be honest both halves of it feel like entirely different things from one another and their stories while having interconnected characters and such, feel insanely disconnected to the point it basically feels like another show after episode eleven ends. I really liked both stories though, I finally understand the hype behind episodes 22 and 23 of this show being considered masterpieces because they really are, had my jaw on the floor for the entire 45 or so minutes I was sitting there watching them, insanely good way to wrap up everything that had happened and set up the future of the story perfectly as well. I do think I enjoyed the second cour much more these the first one though, which could be a hot take I'm not aware, it just felt much more rich in story and actually a lot more engaging for me - don't get me wrong I liked the first cour as well - but it really didn't have the same impact as the second one.
86 is divided into two "seasons" (technically), the first one being episodes 1-11 and the second being episodes 12-23. 'Season' one is probably one of the best shows that deals with the matter of racism and segregation even within one's own community, as it is very light on action and very heavy on the storyline part where the majority of the scenes consist of characters talking (mostly Lena and Shinei). I think it handles these topics extremely well and the way they're talked about and demonstrated is insanely well written and even when nothing was really happening on screen it kept me engaged the entire time. I do think the character deaths didn't have as much impact on me as it was trying to have, but a couple of them did really get to me because I actually liked them during their limited amount of screen time. Racism very bad, treat everyone as equals even if they look different than you, and don't judge anyone based on preconceived notions about them from the past or from another person. You can never truly know or understand the way anyone is without knowing them yourselves. They say white pigs a lot in this show since the more racist ones are people who were breed to have silver hair and white skin, yet even though they aren't great people for the most part the 86 themselves resort to racism as well when talking about them hence the white pig remarks. You can't fight racism with more racism and I think the show shows that perfectly with how the characters themselves react and handle those types of situations.
Yet the second "season" of this show is one of the most emotionally driven and beautifully animated shows I've ever watched, packed with some gorgeously done action scenes using a very unique type of mech that I've never seen in a mecha anime before (the only other mecha anime I've watched is Neon Genesis Evangelion so I don't really know a lot about them). The mechs themselves are animalistic quadrupedal robots that the human characters pilot, allowing for some very cool maneuvers to be done and a lot more variety in the way they interact with their environments, especially as they zoom around the battlefield. I think the most interesting and unique way that the mechs are used is with Shinei, he's much more up close and personal with it - dodging and weaving between enemy fire to shoot most enemies point blank in the face - or slice them apart with the blades he has attached to the robot. The second half of this show is much more focused on the 86 themselves as they find other people in a new city outside of the boundaries of their previous world, and the capitol (including Lena) are pretty much nonexistent throughout the majority of it - they take a major backseat to everything else that is going on with the five 86 characters that lived through the first half. And in all honesty I think I liked that more - I can safely say I enjoyed this show a lot more when it wasn't mainly focused on the people within the Capitol and Lena herself (I like her as a side character but having her as the main isn't nearly as enjoyable for me as having Shinei be the lead). The moments she does appear within this half are the best moments of the entire show though, so I do really like her but I think she's best when tying into the story of Shinei specifically (I need them to get together the chemistry is palpable). Speaking of Shinei his growth in this part of the show is fantastic, his story consists of some of the most impressive writing I've ever witnessed and every time he was on screen was a joy, honestly might be at least top 15 anime protagonists of all time. There was one part of the this half that I heartily dislike, and that's the little girl, I'm sorry but she is the most annoying characters I've ever seen and I hate when they add unnecessary children with nails on a chalkboard voices into anime. If it wasn't for her this half of the show would honestly be a five, but I'd probably give it a 4.5 at least. (First half is a 3.5 imo). Yet the guy who that little girl introduces and he becomes the main villain of the show, is perfect both in design, animation, writing, and especially the dub voice acting for him, got chill every time he'd talk. Peak misunderstood "villain".
Overall 86 is a blast in my opinion, going into it the only thing I knew was that it consisted of mechs, people though the last two episodes were perfect, and that a lot of people online compared this to Attack On Titan, at least in some ways, and while I don't inherently disagree with that sentiment I don't entirely understand it either. Both very well written shows of course, both have a lot of good content about racism and how you can't fight against it using your own racism, and they also contain a very troubled badass main character accompanied by another very troubled badass female character. I definitely don't think it was as good as AOT, and honesty I think nothing will ever compare to that behemoth of a series, but I did really enjoy it. I can definitely highly recommend this show to any anime fan out there, especially those who enjoy a ton of good storytelling with limited but also stunningly done animation (A-1 pictures are the GOATS - currently I'm watching the Solo Leveling show and that adaptation has been utter peak so far, they've been really good at adapting light novels and I need to watch more stuff from them. I think they also did Mashle which I just watched season one of that as well but sadly it's not on here). I might have to check out the light novels for this show because it seems like it can only go up from here both in terms of action and writing, I really hope we get a "third" season sometime within the next year or two. Check it out if it seems like your type of show and you haven't already seen it.
Lisa Frankenstein (2024)
Absolutely genius and is definitely not going to get the love it deserves at the right time.
"Oh my god!" 2024 might seriously be the year for horror comedies because I've watched two very good ones back to back now and I loved it. This was such a stupid fun time that was almost perfect but I do think it had a couple flaws. Lisa Frankenstein is the directorial debut of Zelda Williams, the daughter of the late comedy god Robin Williams, and it was probably the best debut she could've had to be honest. With the help of writer Diablo Cody (Jennifer's Body) and the two lead stars Kathryn Newton and Cole Sprouse. This was one of the most enjoyable films, filled with some of the campiest scenes I've ever witnessed and a whole lot of insanely stylistic 80's stuff, from the outfits for all the different characters, the topics they would speak about, and the amazing music in the film. Honestly it is such a surprise to me that Cole Sprouse did so good in the role of the titular Frankenstein type character, but he was really good at acting like a zombie and then re-becoming a cute guy, but I feel like that's been a theme with a good amount of Riverdale stars lately (specifically Charles Melton with his fantastic performance in May December), a lot of the people on that show are surprisingly good actors but sadly acted on that god awful television show. Also Kathryn Newton did great as always and her dynamic with Cole's character is really what made the movie so good, the chemistry between the two was radiating and he didn't even speak a word, made the jokes so much more funny and the romance actually worked very well. Also Carla Gugino is in this (Mike Flanagan's best girl, and she played the most despicable evil stepmother I've ever seen but she slayed doing it so I couldn't hate her that much) It is a pg-13 film so there isn't really any blood or anything too graphic, but there are a lot of innuendos that are made, and I think the less explicit jokes like that are the better they land so it definitely worked in the films favor. But anyways it's definitely much less a horror film than it is a romance comedy film, that just so happens to include murder, dismemberment, and a reanimated corpse - so I obviously wouldn't recommend going into it expecting a horror movie - even if that is still technically one of its main genres. I do think it could've slightly benefitted from being more explicit with some of the stuff that occurred but it didn't take away from anything that it had going for it already, honestly (almost) everyone who was killed for parts deserved it and I kind of just wanted them to be offed more brutally because of how hate-able they were. Either way the film did perfectly with everything it had, but there were moments that it felt like it was holding back or that it was forced to die to budget constraints. The movie does kind of end semi abruptly though, and I think it could've easily benefited from an extra ten minutes of run time to really flesh out the ending and conclude all the plot points they were building on, which is why I can't give it a five even though I really did love it. It's not often I say it because I love short and sweet movies, but I really feel like it could've absolutely been a little longer and I would've liked to see more of it, I don't think it necessarily NEEDED the extra time - but I wouldn't complain if it got it - for sure this could've been a two hour long film. What it does with its limited time is fantastic though and I seriously loved nearly every single second of it, and so did my girlfriend so that probably made it a lot better. Lisa Frankenstein is one of the campiest things I've ever seen and it 100% knew that and used it to its advantage. The plot was super interesting, had some incredible humor that landed basically every single time for me, a great cast that killed every scene (especially Sprouse and Newton), and honestly some really impressive zombie makeup that I did not at all see coming going in. My girlfriend loved it and I loved it, sucked to see that it was such an empty theater though (even if that was better us), and I'm scared to say this might be a repeat of Jennifer's Body's theater release, where no one goes to see it at first but then years down the road everyone realizes how good it is. I hope that's not the case and everyone appreciates it now, because it is a hell of a fun time, I highly recommend checking this out in theaters while you can.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)
I don't get all the hate
"Work friends? You've been inside me."
Honestly this might just be one of the most entertaining and just fun movies I've watched in a while, I've basically been a fan of the transformers franchise my whole life and I've seen every single live action transformers movie which I actually enjoyed even if that might be a hot take because people don't seem to like the bayverse films, but I thought they were dumb action fun and that's what I would expect from a series about giant robot aliens that can morph into cars, planes, boats, and even animals. I used to watch the animated transformers show constantly and I also watched the beast wars show a bunch (man has the cgi aged horribly for that show), and that's what immediately drew me to this movie in particular, because before this dropped I had completely forgotten about the maximals. So it was an incredibly welcome surprise for me to have them in a live action transformers movie and they looked amazing in my opinion. Plus this movie has Unicron in it and that's the best thing that's ever been in one of these movies, literally just a gigantic planet sized alien robot that goes around killing and destroying every planet he finds, such a cool concept and I really liked having him in the movie. Sadly he barely had any screen time though and he was just a looming threat that never actually occurred, hope he comes back in a later film.
That's something I've always liked about the live action transformers movies, how great the cgi looks on the transformers themselves. From the autobots, the decepticons, the maximals, and the new one for me in this film; the terrorcons (consisting of Scourge, Battletrap, and my personal favorite Nightbird) plus there's the predacons but they're not important. All of these characters were animated perfectly in the film and blended in so well that they just felt normal and never out of place even though they're gigantic alien robots. I really enjoyed all the unique ways they fought even if there wasn't a ton of screen time of them doing so, and their individual personalities which really helped to flesh out their character, making for a much more interesting story. I also really enjoyed their designs, especially Nightbird, the purple definitely helped and the car they turned into is so cool I loved it, it was basically just a parallel to Mirage's car but better because it was purple. One other terrorcon was basically just an opposite of an autobot as well, that being Scourge who was a truck in the same vain as Optimus Prime.
That's another thing I have always really loved about the transformers, their ability to 'transform' into something, and I don't even think it's set to be one specific thing either I'm pretty sure they can become anything really, but my main interest lies in the cars they choose to become. Everyone knows Bumblebee with his yellow striped Camaro, and Optimus Prime with the semi truck. Yet the newest addition the live action autobot roster might just be one of my favorites so far, that being Mirage (voiced by one of my favorite comedians Pete Davidson more on that later), Mirage turns into around three or four different cars in the movie, and they all look really cool, but I love the one he starts out in; a Porsche. Which is one of the best looking cars in the entire movie and I'm glad it's the one with the most screen time because it deserves it. There is one more main autobot in the film which is Arcee, who is I think one of if not the only female autobot, and she turns into a motorcylce and creates a fake driver which is awesome. There's also an Australian plane and a Spanish Volkswagen but they're not as important to the story, still cool though.
Another part of the movie I really enjoyed was the acting/voice acting. While not amazing or anytbing it is a transformers movie. I still found it to be very believable and well done. As previously mentioned I loved Pete Davidson's performance as Mirage and I think his va work is one of the biggest reasons I love the movie, he added so much personality and character to a movie that would be a lot more soulless without him, I do think what happened with mirage at the very end was weird and kind of stupid though, but I don't think it affected the overall movie as a whole all that much. The G. O. A. T. Peter Cullen returned to reprise his role as Optimus Prime and he was genuinely made to be Prime, I cannot imagine another voice behind that behemoth. Ron Pearlman voiced Optimus Primal (big monkey) and I love his voice, it definitely fits the leader role that Primal embodies and it adds a lot of charm to the character in my opinion. Michelle Yeoh was in here as Airazor and that's awesome, love seeing (or hearing) her in films, especially after Everything Eveywhere All At Once. Peter Dinklage voiced the main villain which is surprising, I can seriously never tell whenever he is voice acting in a movie because he's just so good at it. Finally Anthony Ramos did an excellent job as the main character and I think his relationship with Mirage and his little brother added the majority of the soul to the movie and made it more emotionally appealing and compelling to me, but I don't like the ending with him in the final fight though.
The story itself isn't super complex and all that different from any other transformers film, but I still really enjoyed it and I thought the stakes were just high enough that I was glued to the screen watching to see what happened next, even if it was fairly predictable. A lot of character story too, from the humans to the autobots, all delved into and expanded upon a good deal to make watching them more enjoyable. Of course the movie ends in a big cgi battle with a sky beam but I don't care that was fun as hell, I understand why people might not like this but personally I loved it.
I definitely recommend giving it a shot, especially if you're at all a fan of anything related to this franchises. I think I enjoyed it a lot more than most people would because it's been one of my favorite things since I was a kid, but I don't think that's a requirement to have a fun time with this one. Don't really need any prior knowledge going into it other than what the transformers are, but even that isn't required because the movie is practically a reboot and retells its story from near ground zero. I think most people have at least heard of (or seen) Bumblebee or Optimus Prime before though.
Talk to Me (2022)
Can't believe this came from RackaRacka
"I let you in"
This might just be the freakiest horror film of 2023. I genuinely cannot for the life of me believe that this came from two YouTubers, and those YouTubers being RackaRacka of all people, who were one of if not my favorite YouTube channel for a good few years. I absolutely adore the short films they'd make, and the acting from the Racka brothers in them were wildly entertaining and I was and still am beyond excited that they got to make a feature length horror film (and they're already working on a sequel?!). And I am very happy to say that it more than met my expectations and was an amazing hour and thirty five minutes spent.
The story itself was super intriguing and might actually be my personal favorite spin on any kind of possession in a horror film. I loved the usage of the hand, it's just innocent looking enough that it makes sense to exist irl, but also just ominous enough that looking at it gives an uneasy feeling about why it was made (which I do hope they explore that further because they give jokey explanations as to what the hand is and how/why it exists, but I am very curious on the actual reasoning behind it that they come up with). I also really like the concept of the hand being used as a parallel to drugs, and the way some of the characters are peer pressured into using it, plus the way once they use it once they can't seem to get enough of getting possessed and keep doing it over and over again.
Another thing I really enjoyed about the film is its use of social media, there is one specific scene right before the movie takes a drastic turn where one guy gets possessed and everyone is recording it and it goes over the top and they, instead of being normal people and stopping it, stand there recording it, and after he begs them to delete the videos they post them immediately. It's a very real portrayal of how people actually act during stuff like this, and even when someone irl is having a freak out after having a bad reaction, instead of helping them they'd rather stand there recording it and laughing at them. It definitely made those specific characters even more dislikable. Then they already were.
The acting in this film was top notch as well, and it's even crazier that pretty much every single person that they got to act in the movie were just local Australian actors who didn't have a ton of experience, it really added to the feeling of realism that the movie had and helped elevate its horror by having them feel like real people instead of just characters being played. Sophie Wilde was the obvious standout of the film, and she did an amazing job as Mia, the way she played the possession scenes was done really well and I have a strong feeling she'll be in a lot more horror movies than just this one. The other actor I loved in the film was Joe Bird as Riley, the scenes he had were very well acted and even though his character doesn't have that many scenes where he's front and center, the ones he did have he added a lot of depth and personality to the character that really made the events of the movie hit much harder.
Finally probably my favorite part of the whole thing was the effects they used, it wasn't very over the top gory or anything, but a lot more laid back most the time with the gore, yet when stuff like that did happen it was done insanely well. My favorite being the second ghost that Mia sees during her first time using the hand, the way she is designed is incredible and the sound design as well was amazing. Such a fresky character that we barely see, but when we do is instantly some of the most beautiful prosthetic and makeup work in any horror movie of late. Also something pretty minor but that stood out a lot to me that I thought was done really well, was the very last scene with Mia where her hand is all messed up, I hate the look of broken bones and it looked way too good that it freaked me out. (Also the way the people look when they're possessed is done pretty well and looks cool).
Overall one of, if not the best horror movie of the decade (so far), and more than worth a viewing. I can see how it couldn't be for some people and how it could be a little too much for others, but in my opinion this is tied with Hellhouse LLC Origins as my favorite horror movie of 2023, and the 2020s as a whole. There's so much to live here and I genuinely cannot wait until we get the trailer for Talk 2 Me, and of course I'll probably be there day one in the theaters when it finally releases.
Gojira -1.0 (2023)
110% needs a sequel
"Is your war finally over?" Honestly I don't even know what to say about this movie, but I do know that I really enjoyed watching it (especially in theaters even it wasn't the movie I was planning on seeing today). I probably need more time to sit and think about it fully gather my thoughts but my lord this movie was amazing. Every single scene was so well thought out, written, acted, and designed that it was just so satisfying to watch. For the first time in a long time a Godzilla movie has actually made the human characters compelling and interesting to watch, and the audience isn't rooting for Godzilla, I really got attached to the characters during the duration of the movie and I was hoping they'd succeed and make it out alive, and that kind of writing just doesn't exist in modern Godzilla movies so it's such a breath of fresh air. I loved how well written the characters were in this one and it made the scenes without Godzilla (most the movie) still really engaging to watch. Godzilla was genuinely terrifying in this one, I haven't been scared of a Godzilla in a hot minute but every time this once came on screen I got instant chills and tensed up scared for the characters. The design of Godzilla himself is stunning and so good looking especially with the budget they had to work with (fiftteen million) it looked perfect and better than a lot of the cgi/effects that over a hundred million dollar budget movies have. The atomic breath scenes literally had me on the edge of my seat and the effects were so good. The sound design throughout the entire film was impeccable, the roars from Godzilla to the machine like sound of it prepping its atomic breath to the sound of it firing, it was all so well done and was terrifying at the same time. The soundtrack was stacked too, every single score they used felt like it was meant for the scene it was in (some of them were) and it added so much to the film. Especially the classic Godzilla theme playing toward the end, really heightened the emotions during the final act. The acting was really good as well, specifically by Kamiki Ryunosuke as Shikishima, the amount of emotion he conveyed was on another level and made me connect with the character way more than I was expecting to (also the little girl was way too good at being sad and crying it almost made me cry). This is by far the best Godzilla movie to have come out in a good while (second to Shin Godzilla that movie is perfect in my eyes), and definitely leagues above anytbing to come out of the American Godzilla movies. Japan just does it better, they can actually convey it as the horrifying situation it is instead of some super lizard saving the people and fighting for them. I more than recommend this one to everyone, I cannot really find any reason why someone wouldn't like this. Please go watch it in theaters while you can it's an experience and I don't think watching it at home will ever be able to compare.
Zom 100: Zombie ni Naru made ni Shitai 100 no Koto (2023)
Had no right to be such a good show
"I'm just so happy to have a day off of work!" This would have been my anime of the year of season 2 of Jujutsu Kaisen didn't come out the same year. This is actually perfect at what it is going for and I can't believe I haven't heard more people talk about it. It has everything going for it from the animation, comedy, voice acting, action, and especially the characters. This came out of nowhere on Netflix and I heard basically nothing about it until like a week ago, and I binged the entire thing as soon as it all got dubbed. Zom 100 is the story of Akira Tendo (Zeno Robinson) as he and three others create a bucket list of things they want to do during the zombie apocalypse before they eventually get turned into zombies. Akira is the greatest example of Japanese work culture being worked to death and basically being a zombie before the actual apocalypse occurs, and when it does actually happen he finally feels alive and cares about life. I absolutely adore the way this is illustrated in the first episode, creating one of the most visually appealing tonal changes I've ever seen. Along his journey he meets up with his college best friend Kencho (Xander Mobus), a girl he likes Shizuoka (Abby Trott), and a German girl who's a very big Japanese culture enthusiast Beatrix (Laura Post). The story follows these four as they travel around the zombie ridden world and do everything they've always wanted to do but never had the freedom or the gall to actually do it. It's an insanely feel good story that is wonderfully animated by the studio Bug Films, and it's also their debut anime which is crazy to me that it's so well done. It is filled to the brim with flair and color that really makes it stand out from the crowd. Just in the first episode when Akira is in his boring desk job its very dull and bland visually, but the second he realizes he's free there's this absurd amount of color that floods the screen and really shows the amount of fun he's having. This is also demonstrated with the zombies themselves, because the blood that comes from the zombies whenever they're killed is almost never red. It's a wide variety of different colors from pink, teal, purple, green, and orange. It's such a vibrant display that really makes it so much more fun to watch. It's also filled with some of the best comedy I've witnessed, if a series manages to make fart jokes and nude jokes funny again it has to be doing something right because there is no reason it should've been that hilarious, I genuinely couldn't not laugh every single episode. Also the fight scenes are beautifully animated, there's this one fight halfway through that had some of the most gorgeous visuals I've ever witnessed in an anime and I loved it, the way they animated the electricity and the water and the burst of color as the punch landed was amazing. This show also includes some of the coolest zombie archetypes I've ever seen, there's a literal zombie shark with legs in this and it's awesome. Overall Zom 100 is a blast and absolutely top three anime's of 2023 for me. It has the perfect mix of comedy, action, and seriously topics that make it super engaging and enjoyable to watch. I highly recommend this because it is equal parts the funniest thing I've watched in years and one of the most interesting things I've watched in years. Wonderful animation with really good characters and a great storyline to go with it. I don't think there's anything negative I can say about the show, in my opinion it is unequivocally perfect at everything it is supposed to be. Peak anime. (Also Bryce Papenbrook plays the main "villain" of he season and he was by far my favorite character and had the best design to him as well, plus his motivations and development made him a standout for me).
Dorohedoro (2020)
Lizard man
What did the guy inside my head say?
I cannot believe it took me this long to watch this (I was put off by the style of animatjon to be honest), but I am kind of mixed on it compared to the majority I have seen on here. While this is one of the most intriguing stories I've ever seen before I don't know if I really loved the way it was presented. I adored all of the characters in this and I thought their designs were all very fun and inventive (especially Shin's, which is fairly minimalistic but stands out a ton for me, one of the coolest designs I've seen in a long time). Yet the animation itself was very different and honestly jarring on a first time viewing, Dorohedoro is animated by studio MAPPA but the majority of the animation is 3D, and while I don't inherently dislike 3D anime (Trigun Stampede is amazing) it is very janky a lot of the time. The characters never really look right at first and the action, while still great, definitely has a clunkier feel to it, at least at first until you get used to the style of the show.
Dorohedoro is a dark comedy sci-fi action series, following the story of Kaiman, a guy with amnesia who got turned into a lizard and wants to figure out who he really is and who put the spell on him to turn him into a lizard, aiding him on this journey is a man that lives inside of his head who clarifies whether or not the sorcerer that Kaiman places within his head is the one who cast the spell or not, and his best friend Nikaido who runs a restaurant and he loves her food. There are two types of people within the world of Dorohedoro; humans and sorcerers. Humans are forced to live in the hole constantly being tested on by all the magic users, who are able to freely travel between worlds using doorways they make. My favorite character in the show was Shin, a badass sorcerer with a hammer who works with his partner Noi, they both work under Noi's cousin and one of the most famous magic users En (who is also incredibly cool and his whole thing is turning stuff into mushrooms which is equal parts terrifying and hilarious).
Dorohedoro is a very pleasantly funny and interesting watch that I didn't love but I liked a lot. I am definitely going to have to check out the manga for this show because I do not think the animation here did the art style that Q Hayashida has justice, I've picked up both this and Dai Dark in stores before just to flip through the pages and it is some of the most stunning artwork I've seen illustrated. I can absolutely recommend this one but I believe the 3D animation style will take a little getting used to so be prepared for that. It's a wonderful story with greatly written characters who are actually compelling and well thought out. It's both very lighthearted at times and very dark at times but I think that really adds to the overall charm of the series and what it's about. I do really hope we get a season two and that it is animated by MAPPA again or another great studio (I think my first thought would be WIT).
(Also all the times that "MAPPA" appeared on random stuff in the show was a fun little bit, I'd always just notice it out of the blue and I don't think they do that in their other shows, but it was a cool little addition in this one).
The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020)
"Hanna Grose in Paris."
"You said it was a ghost story, it isn't."
"No?"
"It's a love story."
"Same thing really."
Right off the bat this show was insanely good, like I do not understand how Mike Flanagan cannot miss. Whatever witchcraft this dude has been performing to keep releasing banger after banger after banger is crazy, but I will never complain because he's probably becoming my favorite horror director of all time. Compared to the other two Flanagan shows I have watched already this one is by far the least scary just in general, the horror aspect of it was very toned down and not really the focus like the other shows. It still had some pretty decent scares and a lot of the ghosts in the background/mirror shots did freak me out a little bit, but it is front and foremost a romance show and I think it handles all the different romances perfectly. From Owen and Hannah's, Rebecca and Peter's, and obviously the most important one Dani and Jamie's (cutest couple ever for real).
Since I am already speaking on the characters I need to talk about how well they're all written because dear lord is Flanagan writing some of the best I've ever had the pleasure of listening to spoken aloud, just the way he has the actors tell his stories is so interesting and has me compelled to not look away and stop listening for a second because I won't wanna miss out on the dialogue. Every single time someone says something it always carries some weight or importance to it. It's such a good technique for writing and it really fleshes out all of the characters and truly makes one care/feel about them. Like my personal favorites on the entire series Hannah and Owen, just the dialogue between the two and even from the two to other characters. It's so well written that it makes them feel so much like real people and it makes all the story beats hit just ten times harder for the viewer. Every singular piece of speech that comes out of their mouths is exquisite. Especially episode 5 and beyond (I'll get to that in a bit because that episode alone deserves an entire rant).
The acting itself was just fantastic, every actor did an outstanding job and without the amount of effort they put into this it wouldn't be anywhere near as good, because the acting is what holds it all together, it really fleshes out and brings the story my boy Mike wrote to life. From Victoria Pedretti as Dani, who is such an insanely talented actor I am truly amazed this is the first thing I've ever truly watched her in (I never watched You but I've seen clips of her as Love Quinn and she looks like she did amazingly. Also she's in Hill House too so I can't wait to see what she does there). The amount of raw emotion she brought to the character of Dani was incredible, just the way she portrayed her dealing with the guilt and remorse she faced and how she had to overcome it, and then the romance she developed with Amelia Eve's character Jamie, it was adorable and I really loved it. Speaking of Jamie, she slowly became one of my favorites in the entire show, I really didn't know what to make of her at first, she seemed snarky and kind of annoying whenever we first meet her but the more she's on screen and the more time spent with her the more her characters true personality is revealed and it really made me like her. (It does also help that Carla Gugino plays the older version of Jamie who is narrating her entire story). My two favorite characters in the story had to have been Rahul Kohli's (Napoleon Usher and Sheriff Hassan) Owen, and T'nia Miller's (Victorine Lafourcade) Hannah Grose by far, the dynamic the two had is one of the most heartwarming yet heartbreaking things I have ever seen before. Their chemistry with each other was so fun to watch and really made me smile but then episode five happened and it ruined my entire day, and then the ending happened and that made me even more depressed. Oliver Jackson Cohen was very menacing but also very understandable as Peter Quint, despite the antagonistic view of him in the story I do understand his story and why he does what he does, doesn't justify it but it gives reasoning. And Tahirah Sharif as Rebecca Jessel was pretty much the same way, except hers was a lot sadder and more emotional for me. While good in the role Henry Thomas' Henry Wingrave didn't really do much in the story and didn't have much real impact on it as a whole, his whole alter ego evil version of himself that he saw was quite silly too, but overall his acting was good as always. Also both of the kid actors for Miles and Flora Wingrave both did very very well, even if the kids themselves were a bit weird and annoying (and slightly infuriating) at times, they acted that way perfectly and I'm actually kind of shocked at how good it was. The final but definitely not the worst actor/character I want to speak on in this section is Kate Siegel's Viola Willoughby (The Lady of the Lake). She did such a good job in this role it might be one of my favorites of hers now (Callie I still her best), but just the presence of her character throughout the entirety of the show without being revealed until the second to last episode is awesome. Just the entirety of her backstory is equally heartbreaking and deserved. She was terrible but I can understand why and feel sympathy for her, and her yearning to just see her sighted again, even if by the end she doesn't even know that's why she's still there. Also the way her character is why the entirety of the haunting seven exist in the first place is beautiful, just out of spite for feeling wronged she started creating ghosts confined within the residency of bly manor.
On that note the story is so incredibly good and well made. Every single story beat was top notch, from the beginning all the way to the very last scene of the show. Every episode was perfect to be honest, in what it was trying to accomplish, and with the overarching story it was trying to tell it came together so nicely in the end. I love the way the story ties itself into a nice little bow with it starting at the wedding between Flora and her fiancé, and ending there with the realization that it is Flora and her fiancé. The entire story being told by an older Jamie and the people at the party being the older Owen, Miles, and Henry. It's honestly very cute, and then the interaction between Flora and Jamie that I quoted in the beginning of this review is just "perfectly splendid". Such a tragic yet pleasing way to look at the story of this series.
And before I can end this review I have to comment on the absolute terror my boy Mike has put me through on every single episode five of the three tv shows of his I have watched, from The Fall of the House of Usher to this, the fifth episode has always had some of the most insane and disturbing stuff in it. In The House of Usher it was the tell tale heart (iykyk) and that episode was one of the most messed up things I've ever had the pleasure of watching. In Midnight Mass it was the scene with Riley and Erin on the boat and the whole what happens when you die monologue. And in this one it was quite literally everything that occurred during episode five, especially the realization and reveal that Hannah Grose had been a ghost the entirety of the show, and when I tell you I've never felt more shocked and just saddened by a twist, there is no world in which she ever could have deserved that, and it genuinely depresses me. Her and Owen deserved long and happy lives in Paris and that will forever upset me.
That's about all I can think to say right now, but this show was amazing. Definitely not scary like at all, but if you go into it not expecting a horror show, but a tragic romance, it's perfect. I highly recommend it for anyone that hasn't seen it, I regret not having seen it until just now, it's definitely worth the time.
"Hannah Grose in Paris."
Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)
You don't ask what someone's middle name is for a long time
SPOILERS (please watch the movie before reading this because it is so much better not knowing what's going to happen, it's amazing and stupid. The acting is terrific. Highly recommend).
Probably one of my favorite "horror" movies of 2022, the acting, the jokes, the story, the "twist", the practical effects, the sets, and especially the costume design slap. I love the way it incorporated everyone's personalities into the way they dress and the light that they use to guide themselves in the darkness. Like the headlamp for Jordan the well appointed "leader", the glow stick necklaces for Alice the bubbly and "different" girl, the phone flashlight from Bee the outlier who doesn't feel comfortable or like she belongs. I just find it really cool (it doesn't apply to all the characters like Emma, Sophie, David, and Greg as far as I know because most of them didn't really do anything, Greg and David die too early and Sophie and Emma both use their phones I think).
The characters in the film are all played excellently by their actors, especially Rachel Sennott as Alice. She is probably one of the funniest characters in any movie I have ever watched, every single line landed for me, she made the movie a lot better. Pete Davidson was very good as David but I definitely feel he didn't gage nearly enough screen time to really get to know his character and bond with it, but the time he did have he used very well. Maria Bakalova did really good as Bee who is pretty much the center of the entire movie, I really liked her character and the depth she added to her and how she made me actually feel for the character. I understand why she was the main character because she's a fantastic actor to be honest. Amandla Stenberg was also very good as Sophie, who is such an interesting character with a backstory/past that I was very interested in and liked the way it was handled. Also Lee Pace as the mature older guy (Greg) was perfect and I wish he didn't get offed so early because he was surrounded by a bunch of idiotic people, all because he was prepared for a hurricane and used an actual map.
I adore the story of this movie and how proudly stupid and unserious it is. The idiotic way all the characters die is so infuriating but also so incredibly funny that I can't help but love it. David making a TIK TOK and cutting his own throat because he's a jealous loser is peak comedy and one of my favorite movie twists ever. Greg getting ganged up on by a bunch of idiots and reasonably trying to defend himself but getting beat in the head by Bee with weights is awful but hilariously dumb, Emma getting super high and tripping down a staircase and offing herself is so stupid I love it, Alice slap fighting for a gun and getting shot accidentally is just horrible and that makes it funny, Jordan getting offed in self defense because she won't just stop waving a gun at people after she just SHOT someone. All the deaths in the film are hilariously stupid and easily avoidable if anyone just knew how to communicate and weren't seriously coked up.
Bodies Bodies Bodies is probably top 5 horror movies of 2022 for me and I highly recommend it for anyone who hasn't watched it before. It's so funny and even knowing the actual plot and twist really doesn't take away from the enjoyment of it. Please watch it it's so good.
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
That was awesome
SPOILERS. (Please watch the movie if you haven't before reading this because the movie is best to go into blind. It'll be a much better experience) SPOILERS.
Seriously one of the best fake fake outs in any movie ever, love the way it handles the mystery and the twist behind it. Genuinely one of the coolest 180s from a really down to earth film to some of the most insane over the top stuff. It paced itself out perfectly, letting the viewer experience and come to terms with the environment and people in that environment. Letting it soak in and letting the viewer get just comfortable enough to throw all the revelations at you one after another and make you question every single thing you've been told and learned about the place and the people in it. Until it all climaxes standing around that barrel, which is still one of the most out of pocket, most shocking scenes I've seen come out of nowhere on screen.
The performances were also very satisfying, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Michelle is perfect in this just like every other film she has ever been in (Scott Pilgrim and Final Destination 3 are peak). Her character is one of the most relatable in the film because just like the audience she has absolutely no idea what's going on and who/what to trust, but she's also like a badass so that's awesome. Also Bradley Coopers little cameo as her husband Ben was a cool thing to notice on the rewatch. Another insanely good performance in this film is John Goodmans as Howard, in no world did I think that Sully from Monsters Inc. Would be so intimidating and just terrifying. Howard is one of the most silently scary characters in any horror movie, he barely says anything but just the presence of him in the scene makes everything a little bit spooky. Just the constant frown/look of anger on his face speaks volumes where he doesn't say a thing, and the way his entire character and mood shifts during the third act is actually frightening, I've never felt more uncomfortable than I do in the scenes with him and Michelle in the third act. Finally John Gallagher Jr. As Emmett is also a big standout for me because I love pretty much every time he plays and how different they all are from each other, like his character in Hush and his character in The Belko Experiment being polar opposites fascinates me, he's a really good actor and I wish I saw him in more movies, especially horror movies because he has excelled in the ones I have watched. Hated the way his character was offed but loved the way it was executed and the suddenness of the whole thing, and the aftermath of him in the acid is disgusting.
But there is no way I can talk about this movie without mentioning the whole reason I love it so much, the finale and the twist. The fact the entire film has you questioning what's actually going on and if Howard is just an insane pedophile or not, and then it ends with that reveal, it's incredible. Aliens, just aliens. The fact that it is aliens is so cool to me, because really it is the last thing I would've thought it would be, out of all things from nuclear fallout to just hysteria, literal aliens who spray toxic gas that will kill you and also send out dog aliens to hunt you down was nowhere near the top of my list. I love it, the design of them is so cool, the way they sound and the way they move is amazing. I also really enjoyed the way the ship itself was an alien, because it just seems like it sent out the hunting dog and the ship itself just had humanoid aliens on it, but it had its own mouth and organs and stuff, dope. Seriously one of the coolest designs of any alien in any alien movie, love love love love it.
Seriously, I still recommend to watch this movie if you decided to read the review first. It's still worth the time, amazing film.
Nocturnal Animals (2016)
Jake has my heart for real
This movie went unexpectedly well for me, I did not think it would be nearly as good as it was, mainly because they didn't say anything about it in the little teaser Netflix puts when you hover over stuff and the stuff that was there made it seem cringe and bad. Thankfully that was just a short clip of the movie that included the name drop and felt nothing like the rest of the film. I really enjoyed the story in this one, especially the way it's told with the back and forth between reality and the book (symbolism). It was really slow in the beginning but it slowly picked up the pace and got incredibly interesting and I really should've guessed the ending and am sad I didn't think of it, but that was just because I was so enthralled with the story it was telling I didn't even think about what it could've actually meant for the real story. The ending left me feeling so empty and just depressed which was very good because I think that's what they were going for but I didn't know that's what I was in store for because nothing even hinted to it being like that. It's advertised as a mystery thriller (and it definitely can be at select times), but i wouldn't say it's much mystery unless the mystery is what the meaning of the book is. It's still very enjoyable and I loved it
Jake Gyllenhaal is exceptional as always (top 5 actor of all time for sure), his character was by far my favorite and he's the entire reason it left me feeling so depressed, he's such a good actor and he played his character to perfection. It was very well done and he might've won something for it (idk) but he definitely deserves something for that performance. I also really enjoyed Michael Shannon's performance, I recognized him from somewhere but I didn't realize where until I looked it up and found out he's general Zod in Man of Steel. This is pretty much the only other movie I can think of that I've seen him in and he was pretty good, he was very funny and I liked his relationship with Jake's character, definitely added a lot more depth and enjoyability to the movie because their relationship was fun to watch. Isla Fisher also did a really good job which I couldn't appreciate because of how much I did not like her character, but that was on purpose and I understand why, thankfully you didn't see her as much since she was the character reading the book. Also Aaron Taylor Johnson was very good in this movie and I despised his character, but he played it very well (and looked real good doing it) and he also jumpscared me in this movie which was so unexpected and so annoying (it scared me). Also the little Michael Sheen cameo was surprising and very welcome, sad he was only there to be zesty and say a couple sentences.
Major W movie, the story is fantastic and really well told, even if it's incredibly depressing which is part of what makes it so good. Watch it, I never planned on it but got bored and needed something to watch and I don't regret it, they definitely don't make this movie look nearly as good as it actually is.
Zodiac (2007)
David Fincher is just that guy
Major peak film, literally nothing David Fincher has ever made has been bad, every single movie of his has gone insanely hard and been incredibly well made/directed. Seven is in my top ten movies of all time, fight club is a classic, and Gone Girl is another top favorite movie for me, all of his films are works of art. I especially enjoyed this movie because of its relation to the true crime case it was based off of, movies that take true crime stories and create their own stories around it are some of my favorite movies of all time. The Zodiac Killer is up there in one of my favorite unsolved true crime cases of all time, I love learning more about it and researching it, it's crazy that they never found out who it was and still haven't to this day (even though they claim to have, I don't really believe it because it came out of nowhere and I think they just wanted to close the case).
All of the acting in this movie was outstanding, Jake Ghyllehal is perfect as always, and this has become one of my favorite roles of his, Robert Downey Jr. Is perfect in every single role he plays and I really liked the character he played in this one and how snarky he is because that's what RDJ plays best, and finally I really REALLY loved Mark Ruffalo as the police officer, by far my favorite character in the movie and definitely my favorite role that he has ever played. He really shined and it made me fall in love with the character and his personality. I also thought that the Zodiac himself was portrayed very well and was pretty scary, his whole outfit, his voice, the person they got to be him and the twist when it was revealed. He's probably the most interesting unsolved true crime murderies there is, from his tendency to mess with the police, the notes he'd send, how he would leave clues for them to find and such. It really does surprise me that they never found out who it was at the time and how it went relatively untouched by the government for the longest time.
Another part of the movie I really enjoyed was the depiction of the Zodiac's killings, there weren't many of them but what they did show were very brutal and realistic, and very well executed on screen and it always shocked me and made me feel kind of sick. Also a lot of the really tense interviewing scenes had me on the edge of my seat, especially the basement one. I still don't know if that was just a red herring or what but that man was so creepy and it gave me goosebumps from how he acted and how it was directed. Amazing directing and acting on just that scene alone, just that specific scene would be enough to make me rewatch the entire movie from how it made me feel.
Amazing movie, please watch it especially if you're into true crime, specifically the Zodiac Killer. It's definitely worth a watch. David Fincher never misses with his movies, can't wait for the next one.
Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood (2019)
Tarantino will never miss
Tarantino never misses, genuinely not a single film from him that I've watched that didn't have something I enjoyed a lot. Some are definitely better than other (The Hateful Eight is peak fiction, his best movie idc), but they're all good in their own right at what they try to do. This is definitely one of his more meh movies, but it definitely ain't bad. He's (imo) the best director I've ever seen movies from, I knkw that's basic but he genuinely hasn't missed once.
I love his directing style, his writing, and the actors that he chooses to star in his films. He has favorites and I see why bc they're always so perfect, literally made for the roles they play I swear. The absolute highlight of this movie for me was Leonardo DiCaprio as Rick Dalton, it might be my new favorite role that he's ever played. I fell in love with the character almost immediately and all his emotional scenes like the one in his trailer after he messes up a scene in the one movie was perfect. I was genuinely feeling for the character and really rooting for him, and I loved the cute relationship he had with the little girl. Was very sweet and I like how happy he was around her and how it elevated his acting abilities (even if she's only like a decade older than the girls he is dating irl). He was also very funny and his actions in the third act and the ending were hilarious, love the flamethrower bit. Brad Pitt's Cliff Booth was also amazing, very funny character and Pitt has aged like fine wine, Quentin got him shirtless for a reason and I feel it. I love how he intertwines with the Manson family and is why we get our first little crumbs that they were there. I also really liked his performance during the third act when he was tripping balls because I found it perfect comedy. Margot Robbie is quite literally the perfect person to play Sharon Tate (other than herself R. I. P.), she didn't have nearly enough screen time in my opinion but whenever she was she stole the show and looked fantastic doing it. I like the ending they gave her compared to her irl one and how her own family approved it, especially after how she was treated irl at the time of her passing.
Other than the main characters a lot of the side/minor characters were also very good. Like the little Kurt Russel "cameo" as the wardrobe guy, he's always appreciated in any movie ever and he also stars in my favorite Tarantino movie ever so that's a plus, Austin Butler excellence Tex and in the end even if it was more comedic than serious he was pretty frightening for a while there, and I love the quote "I'm the devil, and I'm here to do the devils business". Margaret Qualley as Pussycat was also well acted but her character made me so uncomfortable I find it hard to appreciate how good she played her. Finally as a big Bruce Lee fan because of my father the Bruce Lee part of the movie was probably my favorite portion of the whole thing, the acting from Mike Moh was stellar, he sounded very similar to the real Lee and his cockiness was perfectly done. I do think that Bruce Lee would've 110% beaten Brad Pitt in a hand to hand fight but I do understand it was for the movie and comedy, since it's the whole reason Cliff gets fired.
Other than the acting choices and the actors the film was beautifully shot (as always), the set pieces were very well made and super interesting, the writing as always is very enjoyable but sometimes a lil bit questionable. The action scenes it did have (there were very few) were all very fun, especially the last one. I think this is one of the most egregious Tarantino movies when it comes to feet though and it's getting harder to ignore, like some of the scenes with Margot were literally just to show off her feet, same with a lot of the female cast, I get that he loves them but it's a little much. All in all a fantastic movie, it has its flaws like everything else but it's a fun watch and I'd definitely check it out if you haven't already. Same goes for all of his filmography, they all give you something different and they're all worth the time. Can't wait for his tenth and final film, it better be mind blowing if it's gonna be the send off for one of the best directors of all time.
Five Nights at Freddy's (2023)
Amazingly mediocre
To preface this whole thing I do actually really like the franchise, and have been a pretty big fan ever since I watched Markiplier play the first game when it was still a one night demo in 2014, so no one can say that I'm not a "real fan" for my opinion on the film. Since that is pretty much the only reasoning/defense I have seen from people about why this movie is good and why people who do not agree are "wrong". I have also been waiting for this movie ever since it was announced to be a thing almost an entire decade ago at this point, and I kept up to date with it through all its delays and cancellations and the prospect that it was never actually going to happen because Scott couldn't settle on a script and his announced "retirement" a couple years ago, but just because I waited so long for this movie and really do like the source material (up until help wanted, all the books are pretty good though) does not make the movie any better. While I am happy that it happened, it wasn't a good movie, it was incredibly mediocre at best, but it did have some cool moments.
Another thing, oh my god is the FNAF fan base one of the most annoying things I've ever had the displeasure of being in a movie theater with, they just never shut up, everything that happened in the movie was like the most insane thing they've ever seen in their life they wouldn't stop talking and going "ooooo". I've never been surrounded by so many obnoxious incels at once before, it's like they've never been in a movie theater before and I wouldn't be surprised (iykwim). There's seriously no reason ever to get up and clap in the middle of a movie and start talking because you got a reference to something, just shut up and sit down, learn how to act around normal people.
Now for the movie itself, it's seriously one of the worst movies I watched that came out this year, it wasn't bad in the typical ways movies are bad. It was just so insanely boring, the majority of the movie had absolutely nothing happening but man sleep and fight with his aunt for the custody of his sister, which is insane to put into a movie about robots possessed by little kids murdering people because they're being manipulated by the man who killed them. The only actual entertaining parts of the entire movie were all the references and Easter eggs that they put into it, and while I do find it cool and did appreciate those nods that is not enough for a whole hour and fifty minute long movie to be good. I enjoyed seeing the references and cameos and Easter eggs that were there but that's pretty much all it had other than a pretty decent start and a fun ending, the entire middle of the movie was just unnecessary and a snooze fest.
The parts I did like were very spaced out and only lasted a few seconds because they weren't actually a part of the plot (other than my boy Matthew Lilard, he was amazing). Like the Matpat and Coryxkenshin cameos were awesome and made me smile, I'm glad that they got into the movie since they're such a big part of the fandom. I also liked the Easter eggs like the "it's me" appearing on the security monitor in the one scene, the whole ball pit thing being a reference to "into the pit", the hiding from Foxy in an arcade being similar to a sequence in "the silver eyes", the living tombstone song at the end, the 8-bit opening, the bite (which was kind of cool but it being entirely in half was goofy), and the whole "I always come back" quote (which I have a problem with ill get into in a minute) but that was all the film had. The story itself was lacking any substance and the characters were boring and bland. I know that they banked on the references and cameos bringing "true fans" into the theater who would defend the movie with their lives but those people are just blinded by their love for the franchise.
Other than that, the only thing the movie had going for it was Matthew Lilard as Willy Afton, he slayed in that role for real. By a long shot the best part of the entire movie was his performance, especially at the end when he's in the spring Bonnie suit (which I do really like the design of the suit they nailed that and the rest of the costumes), but he only had like 10 minutes of screen time which really felt rushed, they totally could've had him play a bigger role in it and that would've made it much better in my opinion. I do have a problem with the infamous "I always come back" from him though, not that he said it weirdly which he did, but why did he say it at all (I know it was to get a reaction out of the fans because that's all the movie was) but it seriously doesn't make an ounce of sense for him to say that in that scenario. Like what is he even talking about, when he has come back before, what has he come back from, why is he coming back? It was super out of place and didn't mean anything in the context of the movie, they should've saved the line for when he actually CAME BACK in the sequel or even in the third movie because they're probably gonna kill him more than once it's kind of his thing. The rest of the acting was decent enough I guess, the little kids did an alright job for kid actors (except for the little girl she did a strange job), Josh Hutcherson did pretty good as Mike Schmidt, and Vanessa's character was pretty okay, she was like weirdly bipolar with how she treated them and how much she cared whether or not they got hurt or not. Like one second she'd be super friendly and the next she'd be threatening to shoot them, like girl pick a side (I know her dad is William Afton which was such a funky decision to make but she was still super back and forth on whether or not she was helping her dad or not). The actors who played the animatronics also did really good at portraying robots, so props to them.
The changes they made to the lore as well weren't bad but just felt weird, like why make Vanessa Williams daughter? What's the point in doing that other than to make it different than the games. Why add these new (pretty boring) plot points/characters like Abby and Garret (and garret im pretty sure they're gonna try and make the Puppet which is eh). It just felt disjointed to market the movie as "just for the fans who know all the lore and will understand and the references" and then change up the lore.
Another complaint about this movie is the fact that for a horror movie, it is probably the least scary horror movie I've ever watched, not just because it was pg-13 which would've been fine if they had just you know filled the movie with easy jumpscares, which is pretty much all the games are, but they didn't. For a movie based on a game franchise about getting jumpscared, the movie had like 5 jumpscares, and none of them were good, the only ones that were kind of unexpected were the gag ones they did with the toy balloon boy which is depressing. I didn't need the movie to be rated r and filled with blood and gore (it should've been just for the spring lock scene alone) but they didn't even take advantage of the "horror" they could've added. Which is so disappointing to me, they really could've done a lot more to make the movie better but just settled for mediocre with a ton of fan service because they knew it was going to make them a lot of money.
I really wanted to love this movie, I loved the games and even the books for a large part of my childhood and had been waiting a long time to finally see a movie adaptation on the big screen, but sadly it was a real letdown for me. It just felt like they didn't care about making a good movie, but instead cared about how to get die hard lovers of their franchise to dump money into it and ignore how bland it is just because it has the I. P. attached to it. For a movie it's one of the most boring I've watched, with basically no substance to its story, and even as a FNAF movie it's still not that great. It's just amazingly alright, I can't hate it but I definitely can't love it. I hope they make it better with the sequel.
Midnight Mass (2021)
Mike Flanagan is quite literally him
SPOILERS: I really recommend watching this show before you read this because as most things it is way better going into it blind, it's not super hard to understand and I guessed the twists/plot reveals very early on but it's still very much worth a blind watch. SPOILERS
Okay I don't even know where to start with this one but dear lord was this series amazing, seriously had no idea what I was getting into starting it because really it didn't tell you much about itself, but that's what makes it so good. I had absolutely no prior knowledge going in other than it being based around religion, and I loved it. The reveals and the twists were so good and had so much emotional value and just really actually mattered and made me care a lot more about the characters which was amazing. Quite literally ever single story beat hit so hard for me, and I can't even relate to this show that much, I have never had to deal with religion and the way it is, and I feel like if you have (especially if you've gotten away from it) this show would hit ten times harder.
Every singular actor was perfection in this thing, the obvious standout role is Samantha Sloyan as Bev Keane, oh my god I have never despised and pleaded for a character to die so much before this girl. Bev Keane is possibly the most dislikable character I have ever had the displeasure of watching in anything ever, she is just the worst. Not any redeeming qualities in he, she killed my boy Pike and I will never forgive her for it, and she was so snarky and racist and disgusting. It is incredible to me how well this girl played this character because I didn't even know someone could be portrayed as this despicable before I watched this show. Major props to her because that acting was on another level (also I really enjoyed her role as Tamerlane in the fall of the house of usher). Another stellar performance was Hamish Linklater as Father Paul Hill (Monsignor Pruitt), probably my favorite part of the entire show. I didn't realize how much I would like a vampire priest until now but I really liked the vampire priest, he had some of the best scenes in the whole thing and some his monologues/line deliveries were insanely good. Other than the fact I loved his wardrobe and just everything about his physical appearance/acting. He also had some of the most emotional scenes in the whole show, I loved the way he did a 180 at the end realizing his mistakes and how selfish he was. The way he reacted whenever his daughter got shot brought me to tears to be honest (so many moments made me teary eyed), and the way he accepted death after was so beautiful. I loved the entirety of the last episode, it was all so beautiful. Kate Siegel as Erin Greene was fantastic as always, love her in every Mike Flanagan work, very cute couple too for real for real (Camille was her best character by far). Zach Gilford was also pretty good as Riley Flynn, he was one of the most emotional characters and he also had my favorite monologue out of the whole show, his monologue (and Erin's) will stay with me for a long long time (his death scene was also really well done and both tragic but also beautiful). Rahul Kohl's was fantastic as the sheriff, he had such good dialogue and I don't really get the resentment toward his 9/11 monologue. It really added a lot of depth to his character for me and made me care about him a lot more, and it's not like there wasn't a reason for him saying all of it, it actually had a very big story reason so it felt important. Another character/actor I loved was Henry Thomas as Ed Flynn, he had so much character to him and he had probably the best scene that brought me to tears (his talk with Riley), just because of how real it felt and how much I felt I related to the entire thing. Such a drastically different character than his Frederick in the fall of the house of usher. And before I move one I also need to highlight two other actors I liked seeing in the film, Carla Gugino had a very welcome cameo as a judge, and probably the best vampire I've ever seen on screen Quintin Boislcair as "The Angel", such a good performance it was incredible.
Aside from all the perfect acting in this series, the effects were top tier. Every single death scene looked perfect, the disintegrating of the flesh in the sunlight looked so painful yet so not. It was some really good body horror and (imo) a very different take on the whole burning in the sunlight thing that happens with vampire stuff. It also has a lot of weight to it, like all the scenes where it happens are important and have a really heavy emotional toll, either for the characters or the story or meaning of the story, and especially the viewer themselves. Prime example is Riley's death, the weight it had and the shift in the whole tone of the story was if not anything else so impressive. The way it builds up to it and the story he is telling and his previous monologue about what happens when you die, and then the view from his eyes as he sees the girl he accidentally killed and then the view from Erin's eyes as he burns into ash. It's seriously beautiful. Also the design of The Angel, is so cool I'm not gonna lie, honesty my favorite design of any vampiric creature in any media ever. It's skin, it's wings, it's hands, it's nails, it's teeth, everything about the way it looks (especially when it's in the clothing) is so awesome I couldn't not stare at it in awe. Another thing I need to mention is the design of all the vampiric people who are turned after their deaths, not much changes about them physically but the one thing that does is one of the freakiest and creepiest things ever. It would give me chills pretty much every single time I saw it, those glowing eyes made me feel so much more disturbed than pretty much anything else in any horror thing I've experienced. The way it would look in the background of shots where only the viewer could see it, the way it'd look whenever something was standing right in front of an actor/the camera. It made me feel so just creeped out, genuinely one of the only things that's made me that uncomfortable and frightened in a very long time. Also just the amount of blood and the way the people would go at consuming it made me feel real icky too, it was very well done and cool in a way.
Mike Flanagan truly does not miss, this is the second show of his that I have watched and both have been perfect at what they're trying to accomplish, I still like The Fall of the House of Usher more but that's just because of how much I adore Edgar Allan Poe. This show is pretty much flawless in its execution, it does have some really lengthy monologues and sometimes some preachy messages, but all in all it was fantastic. I really really really recommend watching it, it's beautiful, frightening, and depressing all in one, and I think that's what really makes it so good. The horror isn't that egregious or in your face, it's a slow build and it works so well. It really lets you bond and get to know the characters it follows so that the emotional parts will hit just all that much harder. Incredible show, I highly recommend.